


Nina

by JayeB



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Dunkirk, F/M, Fluff, Harry Styles - Freeform, Violence, WWII, as cliche as a love story can get, endgame happy Harry, period appropriate violence, this is so cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-03 02:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11522703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayeB/pseuds/JayeB
Summary: British solider Harry Styles is thrown into a battle he was not prepared to fight. The only thing that gets him through is the idea of a girl waiting for him.or: a  love story wrapped in war.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m a horrible cliché for this. I had to fudge a bit of history to make the story flow but for the most part I followed the unfolding of WWII  
> If you care the battles referenced in this are: Western Desert Campaign of Egypt, Operation Chariot (St. Nazaire, France), Dunkirk.

Harry stood in line for mail. He hadn’t received any packages from anyone back home in the year that he’d been stationed in the desert. His family rarely sent letters but he continued to check. A week before they were told that they would each receive a letter or two from one of the ‘write to your troops’ projects that were occurring around the world. At least this would give him something to do while everyone else shared stories from loved ones.

Reaching the table, he picked up four from the pile. The clerk didn’t even look up at him. Pleasantries ended months ago.

Walking back to his barrack and onto his bunk row he plopped down and tore open the first letter. It was from a kid thanking him for his service and asking what he did during the day. Pulling a note pad from his locker he wrote a quick reply.

_“ March 1940_

_Hi Sarah!_

_Thank you for your wonderful letter. I spend most of my day playing football with my troop mates. We are far away from the city so we don’t get to see much. Sometimes I build sandcastles._

_Sincerely,_

_Private Harry”_

It was a flat out lie. He built a sandcastle once when he was on watch duty. He avoided the unofficial football field as much as he could.

He sat the letter down on his side table and opened the second. This one was longer and written from a high school boy. He wanted to know if Harry had any female companions. He laughed for a while rereading it. He would need to be diplomatic about his reply just in case the kid’s teacher read it. The return address was the high school. 

_“ March 1940_

_Brian,_

_We don’t have any female troops with us at my station. It really sucks. The local women clearly want nothing to do with us romantically. However, don’t let that discourage you from enlisting. At other locations, we interact with other troops. When we get time off we enjoy some R &R with them._

_Harry”_

 

He wasn’t sure if it would be encouraging or not but it was all he come up with.

The last two letters were different from the others. One had a typed address and felt heavy. Placing it to the side for last he opened the other. It was from a retired sergeant. Harry read the words of encouragement and advice several times over.

“… _keep memories close to your heart…, be aware of your worth to this world….keep going…no need to write back.”_

He put that one inside of his drawer.

Turning to the last letter it was the largest and most formal looking. He opened it slowly. The letter itself was on heavy parchment paper and was typed like the envelope. Within its folds was a thin gold single thread necklace. The simple piece of jewelry stirred something in him. He slide it across his fingers a few times. He hadn’t felt anything so delicate in a long time. Holding the page up to his face to read he could catch a whiff of a fading perfume. It was something warm and welcoming.

_“ January 1940_

_Hello,_

_I’m unsure how to begin this. I’ve never written to a stranger. I didn’t participate in pen-pals as a student. My younger sister is writing a letter for her school and I decided to join in. From my research, it seems that life at war can be very lonely. People tend to focus on the anxiety of battle but the downtime seems to be the worst. Of course, I don’t know for sure._

_What is your position? Do your commanders treat you well? Have you learned any skills since you’ve been there? How do you take care of yourself? Do you cook? Sing? Are you allowed to answer those types of questions?_

_Would you like for me to send you anything? The necklace was a random idea. According the Marine handbook I found (it was written in 1902 but all the same) you’re allowed trinkets. I piece of gold can be a bargaining tool in the hardest of times._

_Please write back,_

_Nina Grimm”_

 

The letter ended with a swooping signature that Harry was sure was written using a quill or a high-end pen.

The return address was in Canterbury. He didn’t know where that was but given the style of writing and the time put into the letter he figured it was a small town with not much to do with a woman named Nina who could give up a gold necklace.

He felt his face get warm. Setting pen to paper he began to answer her questions but stopped to ask his own. Something about the letter made him feel cared for.

“ _March 1940_

_Hello Nina,_

_Thank you for your letter and the necklace. I will keep it with me at all times. Where is Canterbury? I’m from the north and never heard of it. Is it fun there?_

_I am a private in the British Army. We are currently stationed in Egypt. I hope you don’t mind me writing to you. I saw your letter and felt compelled to grab it. My commanders are very good to me. We are all facing the same challenges in this war and support each other very much._

_I do not work in the mess hall but back home I do enjoy baking. It’s funny that you asked about singing. I’ve considered joining the army choir. Do you have a favorite song? I would love to learn a new tune._

_Please send more letters! We don’t have much to read here_

_Harry. x_ ”

 

He tried to ignore the bubbling feeling in his stomach as he placed the letter in an envelope to be mailed the next day. He hadn’t spoken to anyone outside of his barrack mates for so long that he forgotten how good new conversation could feel. He knew he may not receive a response from Nina but he kept a shred of hope tucked away with the letter that he placed gently in his drawer with the other.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive through the desert to the coast was agonizing. The heat of the summer radiated off of every surface and Harry’s uniform seemed to absorb it all. This was his third time being stationed at the beach lookout but he still carried a heavy fear with him. The beach had been bombed only once during the war when troops began to arrive but since then a team of mixed troops were to keep constant watch.

The jeep stopped and everyone started to grab their packs for the two weeks they’d live on the wet sand. They moved in a locked routine, no one spoke.

Harry squinted down the shore at the expand of nothingness before him. Lifting his pack onto his shoulder his fingers grazed the gold chain around his neck. He hadn’t taken it off in the two weeks since receiving it. John, in the bunk next to him, had noticed it when they were dressing down for bed one night. The others teased him for a few days that he had a secret sweetheart. He refused to show them the letter, for some reason it felt more personal than it was. If he were honest with himself he felt special.

Following the line to the camp ground he waved to the few people he knew before sliding between the flaps of the tent he would be sleeping in. He was followed by Mick and Ed who would be sharing with him.

“Who is getting first watch?” Ed hated doing night watches and always volunteered for first day watch. He felt the need to ask every time. He was a quiet and fearful man who tried his best to keep everyone happy.

“It’s all yours mate.” Ed threw down his pack and walked back out of the tent to inform the commander.

Harry grabbed Ed’s pack and unrolled the thin mattress attached to it. He didn’t want a tired Ed tripping over him at the end of his watch to get to sleep.

Looking down at the pathetic excuses for beds he groaned. At least his cot at the barrack had some support. Mick kicked at them from his side.

“We’re going to be on top of each other in this fucking heat. I don’t know why we can’t get bigger tents. I don’t need your dick on my back.” Harry rolled his eyes. They’d already had the conversation about avoiding sexual contact while in tight sleeping quarters. They’d also spoken about Mick not smoking in the tent when they shared it but he didn’t bring it up as Mick rolled a cigarette. Harry laid out across his mat.

“I’m taking the midnight shift.” Mick grunted a response around his cigarette and went about his set up. He knew to let Harry sleep.

Midnight came around quickly with Mick shaking Harry awake and stepping over Ed’s sleeping form.

Harry scrabbled out of the tent to meet up with his fellow watchmen from the other tents. They emerged one by one to the meeting area.

“Harry and Louis take south.” Sleepy head nods were given as the four men split into twos and walked down opposite ends of the beach. Harry rolled his shoulders and gazed up at the crescent moon and stars. The water next to him rolled calmly. The next few hours would drag on into the next two weeks. Sometimes he wished he’d been in a platoon at the front line. Even a midway unit saw some action.

Louis was yawning out a sentence next to him about wanting to take his fiancé to a beach one day.

“Have you never been to one besides this?” Louis kicked sand as he walked. They weren’t watching the dark horizon as they were supposed to.

“Nope. It’s nice, isn’t it? Besides the threat of being bombed.” The moon reflected off his eye roll. Louis spoke about his hero dreams often. He had a large family at home and wanted to create stories to tell them. They walked a few more feet before Louis spoke again.

“You got any travel plans once this is over?” Harry hadn’t thought about it. He was focused on getting back home.

“I think I want to go to the south. I hear the girls are…nice.” Louis chuckled and pulled his canteen out of his belt, taking a swig.

“I definitely need some….nice…girls in my life as well. Your own hand can only get you so far.” Harry nodded. He’d spent a few of his watches behind a building conjuring up images of random women from his past that kept him warm. It quickly became boring and downright depressing. Louis kept him awake with chatter about all the things he planned to do. Harry took mental notes.

They turned face as they reached the end of the track.

One eventless night bled into another and soon they were back at the barracks. All of them more cranky and sunburnt than they’d been when they left.

The sun was setting but Harry noticed the small package on his bunk. John was smirking at him from the bunk next to his.

“Who is sending you things?” Harry ignored him and carefully put his pack away before sitting on the bed with his back to John to open the package.

On top was a letter with his name written in loopy handwriting and the sweet, warm perfume. Below it was a book titled The Conversation. Harry turned it over in his hand and flipped to a random page to read a few lines.

Placing it to the side he opened the letter.

“ _April 1940_

_Harry,_

_Thank you for your response. I’ve included a favorite book of mine. I hope you enjoy it. Behind this letter you’ll also find the lyrics and sheet music of Nothing But The Baby. It is a bit haunting but a favorite tune of mine._

_Being from the north must be so interesting! I’ve always wanted to travel there but of course with the war efforts that may not happen. Canterbury is south east of London. We are on the coast. Sometimes late at night I can see the fighting in France. The girls in the factory that I work in have made predictions that we will be in for a long run. What do you think?_

_Tell me more about your hometown._

_Nina_ ”

 

Harry read over the lyrics to the song. Trying to imagine the notes being played on an old piano in a parlor. He had no idea what a coastal home looked like but he decided that they all had pianos and large windows. Windows that Nina could see the war from. She was closer to combat than he was. A wave of shame rolled over him.

“Is she well?” Harry jumped. He’d forgotten that John was snooping behind him.

“Yes. Do you want to learn a song tomorrow?” John laughed and shrugged. He knew Harry wouldn’t tell him anymore about his mystery girl.

Harry slide the letter into his drawer, deciding to write back in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Walking into the building that contained their makeshift recreation center Harry pretended to be interested in the card game being played at the table and the news playing on the small television. He hadn’t been in the area in a while. He wasn’t good at poker and found the books on the shelves to be boring.

Eventually he made his way to the corner that propped up an old Gibson guitar. Taking a seat on the floor he plucked at the strings for a while, tuning it slowly. He took his time before pulling the sheet music from the letter.

It was a simple song with only a few chords. He played it a few times until he felt he got each part correct. The lyrics were haunting as Nina said and he didn’t have a melody to base it off of but hummed to himself until he found something he liked.

“What are you working on over there Styles?” Louis walked towards him, tossing a ball in his hands.

“A song someone sent me. Sing with me?” Louis took a seat on the floor in front of him and pulled the lyrics towards himself. Harry strummed the chords again.

“You and me and the devil make three? Interesting song. Who sent it to you?” Harry didn’t know how to answer.

“A girl from Canterbury.” Louis stopped reading the lyrics and smirked up at him.

“Ohh, the reason you want to travel to the south.” Louis didn’t press but continued to smirk.

They worked on learning the song for the rest of the day. Harry took the guitar with him to the mess hall. The instrument felt familiar in his hands already. No one else used it so he figured he could keep it with him.

Louis ate quickly next to him, he’d gotten new letters from his sisters. The oldest two had taken up jobs in factories to support the family. Harry wondered if their jobs were like Nina’s. They lived close to Harry’s hometown. He was only half listening. Ed had joined them and was talking about money when he tuned in again.

“All of my pay goes to them but you know the big pay out isn’t until the end.” Harry nodded. They knew that many soldiers wouldn’t make it home and the military counted on that to avoid paying out to every family in Britain. By not being on the frontlines they were the worst paid but the most likely to live. As long as they stayed put they would be pensioners when they returned home.

“My pay is going into an account for now. My family doesn’t need it. I plan on building us a house.” Louis flicked corned beef at Harry to bring him back into the conversion.

“And you need to buy a plane ticket or two for a lady in the south.” Harry couldn’t hide his grin. Louis had revealed himself to be a hopeless romantic. Somehow over the course of a few hours singing a song and reading one of her letters he’d decided Harry and Nina would meet after the war and get married.

“Or I can use it to build a house and go to university.” Prior to enlisting Harry planned to study architecture. He secretly hoped that the bombing occurring would give him work for a few decades. He didn’t mention that part.

That night he wrote back to Nina.

“ _May 1940_

_Nina,_

_Thank you for the song and book. My comrade, Louis, and I learned the song today. I will start reading the book soon.  Included is a bit of Egyptian cotton. Since we’ve conquered the Italian front here the cotton has begun to grow again._

_You mentioned working in a factory. Are you making uniforms and blankets for the troops? We can really use them. Egypt isn’t cold but the guys on the front will have difficulties once winter sits in properly. Does the fighting keep you up at night?_

_Do you attend university?”_

 

Harry was stopped mid-sentence by John rushing into the barracks.

“Styles! Pack up. We’re getting shipped.” Harry stared at John as he sat on his cot and began to sort through his materials to be packed away in his locker.

“Styles. Pack.” Tossing his pen onto the sheets he moved slightly but didn’t reach for anything to be put away.

“Where are we going? When are we leaving?” John sighed and stopped his frantic rolling of socks doing a quick survey of his things.

“You need to stop day dreaming so much. We’re being shipped to France, no one seems to be coming to Africa anymore.” Harry pouted for a second before the information truly sunk in.

“Wait…we’re going into …the front? What city?” He could feel the saliva building in the back of his throat, threatening to become vomit. They were losing in France. France was also very close to home. And from what Nina’s letters implied they were actually shooting their guns there.

“Saint Nazaire. It’s on the coast.” John stopped looking around and looked up at Harry, unfinish letter still in his lap. His face softened slightly.

“I have to send a letter to my wife tonight. Let her know that we’re going into a hostile area and won’t be able to write for a while. You should add that in there.” Harry nodded. Reading over what he’d already written he decided to leave what he had and added:

“ _As I was writing this I was informed that I’ll be shipping to France. Please continue to write me. They will deliver the letters to me as soon as it is safe._

_Yours,_

_Harry x_ ”

 

He placed the letter to the side and began to pack. He had a few things out of place but spent an hour moving things while trying not to think about the French front.

After moving his locker to the shipping spot, he ran to the postal out post to add his letter the growing stack of outgoing mail. Every man in the camp had someone to write to all of a sudden.

Rushing to line up he ran into Louis. Without saying a word, he embraced him.

“We’ll make it.” Louis nodded but had the same pre-vomit look that Harry was sure he still had. They walked to their designated spots to be counted for before being loaded into the trucks that would take them to the coast, then ships that would zip them to the French coast.

Harry stopped hearing the orders that were being shouted. He felt like he was back at training again. His body moving through the motions of packing up the rest of the camp.

He didn’t think again until he smelled the salt of the ocean and felt the waves move the ship.


	4. Chapter 4

Operation Chariot. That’s what they were told they would be carrying out. It was their first morning in St. Nazaire and they were hearing the importance of their mission while trying to drown out the sounds of nearby German ships moving into the dock about ten miles away. They were officially in a warzone.

 They’d only been a few paces from the meeting area before Louis exploded in a mixture of excitement and disgust.

“We’re blowing up a fucking dock. They brought us here to blow up a _dock_.” He shoved a cigarette into his mouth. Harry thought the plan was brilliant but he agreed that they didn’t all need to be there just to fill an old ship with explosives. However, he liked the trojan horse aspect of it.

“We’ll do something else after this Lou.” They would be moving up the coast after the explosion to join other forces to defend the English Channel. The port that they were attacking was a dry dock for German ships; where they went to be repaired. If done correctly they could cripple a section of the German forces. Somehow at the end of it they were going to end up back in the UK. It wasn’t that big of a leap. Land in St. Nazaire, move up the coast to Dunkirk and only 26 miles to home. They would be able to see Canterbury from Dunkirk from what Ed told him on the ship ride over.

Marching further away from the meeting area they picked up their guns. Harry hadn’t been taking great care of his riffle or pistol while in Egypt but on the ship ride over he re-learned the machines as much as he could. They didn’t feel as familiar as the guitar. Heavy and unbalanced he shifted them constantly.

They started to move explosives to the destroyer ship that night. Harry could feel the sweat coating his entire body but he ran up and down the beach with the other men in a crouched fashion. It was nearly three in the morning when they finished. They watched as the ship moved quickly towards the dock. This would be a quick mission. They had no time to think.

Hoisting his gun on his shoulder he ran for cover with the rest. They were moving up the coast to their boats that would carry them the rest of the way when the ship hit the dock. Harry felt the ground roll with the force of it.

Within seconds the heat from the growing fire could be felt from their loading area. Other ships caught fire around it. Looking over often Harry watched as the bloom of flames grew. Harry was barely seated on the cruiser before they took off. Sticking close to the coast they watched for any sign of activity. The first shot took them all by surprise. Arching high in the air the bullets landed in the water around them. Shot more out of anger than tactic.

Louis was shaking next to Harry as the commander yelled for them to hold steady as they sped towards the enemy. Harry’s hands were slipping on his gun. He feared he would accidently shoot it. Whipping his hands on his pants he readjusted himself on his seat as they grew closer to the flames. He could see the men on the beach and hear their shouts. It was time.

The sound was starting to mix with the pounding of his heart in his ears. He didn’t hear the order but the movement around him informed him that he should start shooting. Taking aim at nothing in particular he began to unload his clip with the others. He saw bodies hit the ground on the shore but he couldn’t be sure if any were from his bullets. He didn’t want to know.

They continued to shoot until they rounded out of the docking bay and sped up towards Dunkirk. In the day break they would be able to see Britain.


	5. Chapter 5

_We aren’t going to reach home._ Harry’s mind kept repeating itself. As the sun broke over the horizon German fighter planes began to fly overhead, spraying bullets down on them all. _We aren’t going to reach home._

Their ship captain began to maneuver the ship around in an attempt to avoid being hit. Harry grabbed the railing, they were headed for the shore where British, French, Polish, Belgium and Dutch soldiers were firing up into the air. Some were running towards the town for more ammunition hidden away. There were hundreds of thousands of them but Harry’s mind kept telling him _We aren’t going to reach home._

They hit the sand with a thump and began to pool out onto the beach. Harry heard screams of agony and things hitting the water and sand around him that he wasn’t ready to recognize as the bodies of his comrades.

He ran with the rest. He wasn’t sure how long he ran but they reached a spot to take cover under a pier. Other soldiers were on top, huddled down. Ten minutes later, that felt like a lifetime, the planes were gone. An earie silence fell over them all.

Looking at the beach he saw the still twitching bodies of his countrymen. Some vomited near him. A voice rang out they needed to make it to the ships to salvage what they could. The long boats that peppered the shore were scattered, some shattered and sinking. They would have to move in waves to retrieve everything.

They all heard them before seeing them. The Germen airmen were circling back around. Harry held his breathe as the bullets rained down again. He held his gun tight, realizing it was useless.

“NO!” The voices above were screaming out in horror.

“The ships are sinking!” The tears on his face were mixed with sweat but he was sure everyone else would forgive him for crying as he waiting for his life to end in an unceremonious rain of bullets.

Death didn’t come and the bodies around him were moving away from the cover and towards the city scape. They were to take cover with others in the buildings. Harry took a deep breath before starting his sprint. He jumped over bodies and felt the fire in his lungs spread to the rest of his body but he did not stop.

Once they hit pavement they began to split up and raced down roads, guns raised as they searched for open doors to duck into.

Harry followed the back of someone he never really spoke to into a church as they were being flagged in by a French solider.

Harry collapsed onto a pew. The temporary safety easing the bubbles of anxiety creeping through his bloodstream. Taking deep breathes he steadied himself before listening to the conversations around him. He spotted John a few pews over, speaking quick French to another man.

Walking over Harry watched their exchange before John groaned and filled him in.

“We’re surrounded. The Germans are breaking the French line of defense. We have around 400,000 of us here. We’ll have to fight our way out.” Harry nodded in the most professional way possible. He didn’t want to be found out as the terrified one who couldn’t be trusted to hold himself together.

Someone handed him a can of food and canteen of water. Without thinking he ate. At some point, he walked around the church and found the bathroom.

He tried to wash his face in the sink but realized the dark smudges on his face were bruises. He’d only been at war for two days and couldn’t recognize his own eyes.

 Reentering the main sanctuary, he sat next to John again.

“We’re going to get out of here.” Harry leaned back on the pew. He knew John wasn’t really talking to him but Harry was feeling pessimistic and needed to bring someone down with him.

“But they are going to attack home too. We have to win.” John’s answer was placing his head in his hands.

Another solider came around to assign watch while the rest went to sleep. Harry fell asleep on the pew with angels looking over him. He hoped it was a good sign despite the part of him that was ready to die instead of waiting it out with the rest.

A few hours later Harry woke up to a rumbling. Springing up he searched around for any sign of an enemy attach. John put his hand on his head.

“It’s the tanks, they are moving towards the beach just in case we need to bunker down up there.” Harry rolled his shoulders and sat up correctly. Sleep still clouded his thoughts, allowing him to think reasonably instead of the awful things that ran through his mind earlier.

“Did you sleep? I’ll take watch.” Checking his watch, it was already five in the evening. He’d survived the second day and nearly a quarter of the third.


	6. Chapter 6

On the third night, a radio call indicated that the German troops were regrouping for a more organized attack. They would have a few days to evacuate before a full front moved across France.

The men were to rally at the beach to be shepherded across the channel. Retracing to the sand he realized how far shelter was from their destination.

Once there Harry marched up and down shouting Louis’s name until they met up. Other men were searching out friends. Some checked the dead as they moved them into a line to be counted for. Louis had been on the beach a few hours longer and explained that a ship would be coming to evacuate unnecessary personal. No solider would be evacuated on the first round.

“So, we’re being left here.” Louis plopped down on the sand and squinted at the water. Looking around hopelessly harry joined him. They sat there for a while and watched a small fleet roll up to the pier they’d hidden under.  Men rushed forward, clamoring onboard. Fights broke out.

“We’re all going to fucking die because they can’t follow orders.” The ships departed within an hour. They moved slowly with the weight of too many people.

They slept on the beach that night. Louis used his jacket as a shared pillow and Harry’s as their blanket.

When the day light began to break they heard the arrival of planes again. This time they had nowhere to hide. On instinct, they ran for the water. The bullets would be slowed by the waves.

Harry pushed himself under the waves, holding his breath for as long as possible before coming up to gulp air before diving down again. He pumped his arms for what seemed like hours. Checking for Louis he stopped long enough to notice that the planes had once again passed.

They waded back to the shore, picking up the equipment they’d thrown in their dash. More bodies littered the ground. This time they helped move them into the line that stretched the border of the beach.

Louis took a swig from Harry’s canteen and resumed his vigual of the sea as if they hadn’t just been under attack.

That night more boats came. This time they made their way to the queue. Someone shouted that they would all be evacuated as soon as they found enough vessels. Louis chewed his bottom lip as Harry swore loudly. The second fleet rolled out with several thousand men, leaving most of them behind.

Someone who had a communication radio gave the dire news that the canal had been breached and the German troops would be moving their way. They would be upon them within two days.

The remaining men began to pool their food and take turns going into Dunkirk for water. On the next day of spitfire Harry didn’t make it to the water fast enough.

He barely noticed the bullet pass through his side. If his body hadn’t spun from the impact he would have continued to run. Instead he wrapped his hands around the wound and curled up as much as he could until the bullets stopped.

Louis found him and helped him create a tourniquet. He tried to keep his hands steady but Harry knew he was concerned.

“You have to get on the next round mate. I can’t allow you to bleed out down here.” Harry tried to ignore the tears in his throat and the look around at the ever-growing lines of bodies. All of a sudden he feared the death that crouched so near to him now, ready to swallow him whole.

That night they were ordered to the mole for evacuation.

Louis and another solider helped Harry hobble to the end. Harry tried not to cry out in pain. Louis surveyed the area. He was taking deep steady breathes. The distance from the mole to where the boats would be closest was at least a mile of choppy water.

“I’m not going to be able to swim that Lou. I….I can’t make it.” Louis hoisted his arm up. Pushing his fingers into Harry’s side to check the makeshift bandage.

“You’re going to make it.” The determination in his face was frightening But Harry refused to let him down.

That night’s fleet was made up of civilian and Red Cross boats. Louis steadied them on the edge of the mole.

“Alright H. We’re shooting for the red cross. They’ll be able to patch you up.” Harry nodded. He took the deepest breathe his broken body would allow.

On the count of three they launched into the breaking water and began to swim as hard as they could. Harry switched between a long stroke and frog stroke. He could feel his side split open further. The throbbing in his lungs mixed with muscle fatigue pushed him to the brink of passing out. Somewhere to his right and a few meters in front he heard Louis yelling that Harry was injured and needed immediate attention. He could no longer see or hear anything. He had seconds before a full blackout.

Hands help yank him out of the water. The last thing he heard was Louis’s voice whispering that they would be home soon and to hold on.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry woke up three days later in the infirmary to a stack of letters on the bedside table along with a cup of steaming coffee. He’d been in and out of consciousness over the last two days after having surgery to remove the bullet and dead tissue from his abdomen.

Shifting his body from side to side he slowly sat up. Before looking at the letters a part of him knew they were from Nina. Some part of him was nervous about their content while another part felt relief. He pulled the stack to his lap and flipped through them, putting them in order by the postal date.

With shaking hands, he opened the oldest letter.

“ _May 1940_

_Harry,_

_It goes without saying but please be safe. I will continue to write to you and can only pray that one day I will receive a response. No, I do not attend university but I have taken night work as a typist. The factory is cutting back on production and I find that I can’t sleep at night. We’ve been put on high alert after the bombing of London. It truly is frightening at the moment. I can only imagine what you are going to experience._

_Truly,_

_Nina”_

He sat the letter on the table and took a sip of his coffee before opening the next.

“ _May 1940_

_Harry,_

_I’m unsure of how often I should write. I will write once per week. I have kept a watchful eye on the French front. The tides are not in our favor. I’ve asked some of the girls if we will be able to access information about the British troops. The library keeps a reel of names of those who have been lost. I’ve started to check it daily. The Prime Minister says that everything is going as planned but I don’t believe him._

_Do not forget me,_

_Nina_ ”

His heart hurt. She was worried about him. Searching for any news of his death. He would need to send word to her as soon as he could.

The next two letters held the same level of fear and bubbling grief. Harry had to stop and gulp more coffee before he opened the next.

“ _May 1940_

_Harry,_

_My father was asked to help evacuate Dunkirk. He has a small boat and will make a trip across the English Channel to rescue as many as he can. From what I can deduce you are in that number. Waves are troops are rolling into Germany. We are winning there but losing so close to home. Last night King George came on the radio and told us to keep calm and carry on. I can see planes constantly over Dunkirk. My father leaves tomorrow._

_Nina_ ”

The nurse came to fuss over him. She checked him for any signs of infection and cheerfully stated that he would be able to leave the in a few days. Harry attempted to give positive responses. His body hurt all over and he was afraid to eat. He kept it to himself. By the time she walked around to the next bed he’d already ripped into the last letters. Out poured several photos and news clippings.

“ May 1940

_Harry!_

_Most of the men have been rescued. I haven’t seen your name on the lists of those lost. I’m not sure where they are taking you all. My father says that the men he brought home were ready to be given a new posting as soon as they can. Should I continue to write to you? Would that be inappropriate? I am sure that you will have many things to do and people to love now that you can. I’ve included some news articles from our paper. They’ve printed photos from the beach. I also included photos from my hometown as we celebrated the arrival of the boats._

_Yours always,_

_Nina_ ”

He could not contain the way his eyes feasted on the photos. She’d written descriptions on the back of them. He recognized some of the men in them. He felt a bit vain when he noticed John in the far ground of one of them.

Another included people dancing on a street near the train station. Those who were healthy were sent to London to be re-assigned. He was still in Canterbury.

The last and most important photo was of Nina. He took in every detail that the photo would allow. She was seated on the railing in front of the departing train with a shy smile. She was stunning or simply bathed in the hue of love and gratitude that harry felt for her.

He laughed at himself. If he’d not been shot he would have been on one of those trains and passed her by. Louis would call it fate.

He decided that he would take a room in town before he was given the all clear to travel to London.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about this one not lining up correctly. I tried to fix it.


	8. Chapter 8

It took a few days, a debriefing and a phone call to Louis who’d already made it home but Harry was given special clearance to stay in town under a doctor’s care. He phoned his mother to ease her worry. Leaving the infirmary, he sent a letter to Nina. He hoped she would respond well to his bold decision. He wrote the boarding home’s address as the return.

Sitting in the small room he sorted through the few articles of clothing he’d been able to get the nurse to buy for him. His mother and Louis had given him advise to wear blue when he went to visit Nina. They both declared that the color made his eyes glow.

Shaving in the small mirror he assessed the fading bruises and decided he didn’t look horrible. The lose shirt helped camouflage the bandaging around his middle.

On his second day of rest he received a knock at his door. It was the landlady with a stern but cheerful look.

“I told you no girls. You may be veteran but you don’t get to break the rules. Leave the door open. She’s waiting downstairs.” Harry tried to hide his confusion. The woman scared him a bit and he didn’t want to tell her that she knocked on the wrong door. He would go down and find out who the girl was waiting for and search them out for her.

Walking down the stairs slowly he watched his own feet in his boots until he reached the entrance way.

 

All at once there she was. She stood in the door way drinking him in. Her hands were limp next to her pressed sea green skirt. Unbeknownst to her it matched Harry’s eyes. Her mouth moved a few times before splitting into a smile.

“Harry.” He couldn’t help but laugh and drag his hand through his hair, smoothing the fluffy sections that grew on the edges. How many times had he read his name and tried to imagine her voice? It felt perfect.

“Nina.”

 

 

 

 


End file.
